The present invention relates to a computerized system for performing remote diagnostics and configuration operations on a field device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a computerized system that allows to manage remotely, automatically and with improved features, the operating life of a field device, installed in an industrial system.
It is known that a field device, such as for example a pressure transmitter, temperature transmitter, and the like, is used in an industrial system to measure process values (pressure, temperature and the like). A field device generally comprises an electronic control unit for adjusting the operation of the device itself and for handling the communication of the field device with external electronic devices.
It is known that very often a field device, after installation in an industrial system, has to be subjected to interventions aimed at ensuring adequate management of its operating life in order to ensure optimum performance thereof.
Diagnostics operations are often performed with the aim of acquiring characteristic data/parameters of the field device, whose processing can lead to the identification of a fault or malfunction. Moreover, if necessary the diagnostics operations are accompanied by configuration operations aimed at modifying/improving the setup of the field device in order to solve a fault or modify/improve the performance of said device, according to the requirements. In practice, the diagnostics operations consist in providing the control unit of the device with data/commands to detect certain physical values of interest, while the configuration operations consist in configuring the software/firmware of the control unit so as to modify/improve the operating setup of the field device.
Conventional methods for performing operations for the diagnostics and configuration of a field device generally involve direct intervention on the industrial system in which the field device is installed. Very often these operations are performed by means of the user interface of the control unit of the field device or by virtue of appropriately provided computerized devices that can be connected directly to the control unit of the field device, such as a handheld device or portable computer. Diagnostics and intervention operations are often performed by unspecialized personnel of the user, i.e., the user of the field device, who receives, in order to solve known problems, remote assistance, e.g. by fax, telephone, e-mail, et cetera from the supplier.
Alternatively, the user can send the field device directly to the headquarters of the supplier, who performs the required intervention.
Instead, in order to solve more complicated problems, the user can request the field intervention of specialized personnel of the supplier or can acquire specialized personnel, for example trained by the supplier, for maintenance of the field device.
The conventional methods for performing diagnostics and configuration operations on a field device have drawbacks.
Practical experience has shown that very often the interventions performed by unspecialized user personnel are not conclusive, owing to the relatively limited knowledge of the operation of the field device. Remote assistance on the part of the supplier, performed with conventional methods, is highly laborious, since misunderstandings or misinterpretations between the customer and the suppliers can occur often. These problems can arise for example from shortcomings related to the information describing the problem on the part of the customer or from incorrect interpretations of that information by the supplier. Obviously, avoiding these problems sometimes requires considerable coordination efforts that cause intervention on the field device to be relatively costly in terms of times and expense.
However, practice has shown that the intervention of specialized supplier personnel directly on the field is very often highly expensive for the user, since the field device is often installed far from the supplier's headquarters. Likewise, it is costly for the user to train and use specialized personnel to be used permanently for the maintenance of installed field devices, especially if the number of these field devices is not particularly large.